NBA Daily: The Effects of Adding And Losing Tyson Chandler

After we got our first coach movement of the season last week, we got our first player movement of the season this weekend.

After spending the last three-plus years with the Phoenix Suns, Tyson Chandler has been waived by the team and is expected to sign with the Los Angeles Lakers.

At 36 years old and having spent the last few years on a perennial bottom dweller, it’s hard to know how effective Chandler will be at this point for a playoff hopeful like the Lakers. Still, his move from the Grand Canyon State to Hollywood does let us peek into the mindset of both teams.

Phoenix Suns

This was the end of an era. Kind of.

Technically, Tyson Chandler is the last player who the Suns originally added in an attempt to win now before they opted for the rebuild. It’s sad since the Suns started their rebuild pretty much right after adding Chandler. Phoenix originally brought in the former defensive player of the year in hopes that he would lure LaMarcus Aldridge to join them, but to no avail.

Phoenix’s failure to acquire Aldridge made the. 32-year-old Chandler an awkward fit on a young roster that wasn’t built to win anything immediately. Phoenix valued the veteran influence Chandler had on some of their younger pieces, but it was clear that what Tyson brought to the basketball court was of little use to them.

Three years later, Phoenix cut the cord on its failed gamble. With Chandler gone, the Suns can now focus on the development their younger frontcourt players. Just to be clear, DeAndre Ayton isn’t one of them since he was already the starter and has so far lived up to the lofty expectations he had coming into this season. There are two specific young bigs on the Suns’ roster whose career could change for the better with Chandler gone.

First up is Richaun Holmes. Holmes hasn’t gotten much of a shot since entering the NBA. His only prolonged exposure came in his first two years when he played for the Philadelphia 76ers back when they were still tanking. Holmes then spent most of the games on the bench when the Sixers started winning, making him all the cheaper for Phoenix to acquire.

Holmes has shown flashes of being a productive big in the second unit. His athleticism makes him a golden candidate to make a highlight reel dunk or block on a nightly basis. His inconsistency, however, has prevented him from securing a spot in a rotation. In the very limited minutes he’s played this season, the Suns’ defense has proven to be better, as they allow 13.4 points per 100 possessions less when he is on the floor. That stat should be taken with a grain of salt, though, since Holmes has only played 50 minutes all season.

Since his contract expires after this season, Holmes must seize this opportunity if he wants to stay in the NBA.

The same goes for Phoenix’s other young big who could capitalize from Chandler – Dragan Bender.

The Suns knew Bender was a boom-or-bust prospect when they drafted him fourth overall. The young Croatian has shown flashes of the all-around skill set many thought he had, but they’ve come few and far between. In just two weeks, Bender will be 21, but it’s clear that the Suns have lost patience with him. The team has decided not to pick up his player option, making him an unrestricted free agent this summer. With Chandler gone, Bender, too, has the chance to prove he has a place in the NBA.

Again, Bender has had his moments. Particularly during last season. Last April, Bender averaged 13 points on 53 percent shooting, including 47 percent from three. Add in the 10.4 rebounds per game, and it would seem the Suns would be encouraged by his late-season somewhat surge. Since Bender’s little run came at a time when everything’s already pretty much been decided, it didn’t count for much.

With Chandler gone, Bender has a chance to follow in Mario Hezonja’s footsteps as a failed lottery pick who showed at least something before he left the team that drafted him. It’s too late for him to prove he was the right pick at number four for Phoenix, but that doesn’t mean he can’t blossom into a productive player.

Los Angeles Lakers

The Lakers believed they could go into the season with only one proven center on their roster. Surprising absolutely no one, they haven’t.

Now, Javale McGee has actually been impressive since taking the Lakers’ starting job at center. The man is averaging some of the best numbers he’s ever put up since coming into the NBA. Averaging 15.2 points, 7.7 rebounds, and 3.6 blocks a game on 64 percent shooting, the “Shaqtin’ a Fool” champion has garnered a lot of respect around the league. He also clearly impacts the Lakers’ defense, as the Lakers surrender 6.3 points per 100 possessions less with McGee on the court.

It’s blows the mind that McGee may wind up being one of the smarter additions made this summer. But it’s sad to say that he’s the only positive from who the Lakers have played at center.

Luke Walton has been forced to get creative with all his new toys. He’s tried to play Kyle Kuzma at the five, but the second-year player is clearly not meant for it. He’s given Ivica Zubac some burn, but not enough to convince spectators that Luke trusts the third-year player. If Tyson Chandler hadn’t become available, who knows what the Lakers’ plan would have been for their frontcourt?

It doesn’t matter now because Chandler has arrived. Expectations for Chandler aren’t high. The common belief is that his role in Hollywood will be to spell McGee off the bench so that the Lakers actually have a proven backup center in their second unit.

Unfortunately, Chandler hasn’t had an individual defensive rating below 107 since his second stint in Dallas, when it was 103. Also, according to net rating statistics, he hasn’t exactly helped his team’s defense.

The following stats are the Suns’ defensive ratings over the past three full seasons with Chandler both on and off the court.

-2015-2016: The Suns defensive rating was 107.1 when he was on the court, and 105.9 when he was off.
-2016-2017: The Suns defensive rating was 109.8 when he was on the court, and 110.3 when he was off.
-2017-2018: The Suns defensive rating was 109.9 when he was on the court, and 110.5 when he was off.

Those differences don’t make Chandler look like a scrub, but they definitely don’t make him look like a defensive powerhouse. In Chandler’s defense, he wasn’t exactly surrounded by the best defensive personnel in Phoenix. However, it’s not like the Lakers are in a much better place, as they are currently 20th in the league in defensive rating at 112.2.

Tyson Chandler is not what he once was, and he’s not going to single-handedly change everything, but he’s something. He’s better than what the Lakers have used because, frankly, they’ve had pretty much nothing to use since the season started.

Bringing in Tyson Chandler also signifies that this season is not going to be a step-by-step process for the Lakers. With LeBron James on your team, you can’t expect early season struggles to go on for too long before you start seeing some changes.

LeBron wants to win now while he’s still the King, so don’t be surprised if adding Tyson Chandler isn’t the Lakers’ only move this season.

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NBA Daily: Bought Out Players Faring Well With New Teams

The deadline for teams to send their unwanted players to the buyout market was March 1. Jordan Hicks takes a look at some of the key acquisitions since the deadline and how they are helping postseason pushes.

The buyout market seems to be gaining more and more popularity with each season. While rebuilding teams tend to forego more seasoned players in order to give their younger guys some run, veteran players often find themselves bought out or waived prior to the deadline.

Teams competing for a spot in the playoffs – so it seems – have increasingly taken advantage of this situation by signing guys that can definitely help them get enough wins. While you definitely will not find All-Stars in the pool of available players, oftentimes solid role players find themselves there due to a myriad of reasons.

It could be that their previous teams wanted to give more playing time to guys more in-line with their future plans. It could also be because their previous team was simply wanting to lose games in order to increase their draft position, which is also known as tanking. By waiving better players on your roster and keeping less talented ones, teams can essentially give themselves a better chance to lose games without totally making it look like they’re doing it on purpose.

This year had one of the stronger pools of players on the buyout/waived market as of March 1st in recent memory, so let’s take a look at some of the top players and how they’ve fared since joining their new team.

Wesley Matthews

Matthews was part of the marquee trade that sent Kristaps Porzingis to the Dallas Mavericks. He ended up with the Knicks, but after two short games, they realized they didn’t want his talent interfering with their draft position. They waived him prior to the deadline and he was picked up by the Indiana Pacers.

This has turned out to be an incredibly important acquisition for the Pacers – primarily due to the fact that they lost All-Star Victor Oladipo for the season.

Matthews brings grittiness on the defensive end and a diverse set of skills offensively. He is an above average shooter from the three-point line, averaging 38.8 percent on 6.1 attempts per game since joining Indiana. He has added much-needed scoring to the offense as well – currently at 12.5 points and 2.4 assists each night.

He’s very clearly a step below Oladipo, especially when considering what Vic brought to both ends of the floor, but the fact that the Pacers added him without having to give up any assets is pretty remarkable.

While he has yet to add any considerable value on defense, Matthews has ranked fifth on the team in offensive rating since joining them on February 7. If Oladipo was still on the roster, you could argue that they wouldn’t necessarily need Matthews. But in light of recent events, being able to add Matthews as easily as they did was certainly a win for the franchise.

Enes Kanter

Another player the Knicks decided to unload was Enes Kanter. He was sent to the player pool via buyout, and it is safe to assume that New York had to spend handsomely to send him there.

Kanter is an interesting player. He has always been able to get buckets around the rim, as well as grab rebounds, but he has always struggled defensively. This was not why the Knicks wanted to let him go, however. Tension had been growing between Kanter, the front office, and the coaching staff, as they wanted to limit his minutes in lieu of the younger players on the roster.

Enes just wanted to play, and, by being bought out and signing with the Portland Trail Blazers, he’s been able to do just that.

Since joining Portland, the team as gone 9-3. While he continues to have his struggles on defense, he is posting 10 points and 6.7 rebounds on only 18.2 minutes per night.

Since the acquisition, Meyers Leonard has seen a decreased role. Kanter has turned into the de-facto backup to starting center Jusuf Nurkic. While Kanter is a poor defender himself, Portland has enough solid defensive players in the frontcourt that they haven’t had too much of a problem hiding him on that end of the floor.

Jeremy Lin

Lin headed to the market after being bought out by the Atlanta Hawks. He was picked up by the Toronto Raptors, who have struggled to field consistent backcourt players off the bench due to injuries – which was made more difficult after dealing Delon Wright to the Grizzlies as part of the Marc Gasol trade.

In 13 games with the Raptors, Lin is averaging 8.4 points and 2.5 assists in 20.8 minutes per game. He has struggled to find any consistency with his shot, as he’s averaging just 39 percent from the field and a morbid 18.4 percent from three.

That shooting has every opportunity to increase. Lin is a 34.3 percent shooter from downtown over the course of his career.

The Raptors will need Lin to pull his shooting together as the season wraps up for a strong playoff campaign. The bench unit was a major part of their success last season and it is proving to be another key part this year. In order for Toronto to finally reach their goal of winning the Eastern Conference, they’ll need Lin to be at his best. He isn’t the only key to their success, but he’ll have a major impact on how the Raptors finish out the season.

There are still plenty of solid players on the market. Carmelo Anthony, Ben McLemore and Nick Young could provide instant offense off the bench. Greg Monroe, Marcin Gortat and Zach Randolph could help improve the frontcourt of any team in need. Whether or not teams decide they need their services, only time will tell.

While the season plays out, it will be interesting to see just what impact these players discussed – as well as those not mentioned – will have for their franchise in the postseason.

One of the best moments in the life of an aspiring pro basketball player is to receive the news that an NBA team wants to sign them.

For Justin Bibbs, that dream became a reality of his when the Los Angeles Clippers called him up to the team on a 10-day contract last week. The former Virginia Tech guard went undrafted last summer and was spending his first professional season in the G League with Maine Red Claws, the affiliate of the Boston Celtics.

This past Sunday against the Brooklyn Nets was actually his first day being around the team as they had immediately assigned him to the Agua Caliente Clippers after signing him.

“To be honest, I still don’t have words for it. It’s kind of indescribable,” Bibbs told Basketball Insiders. “I always wanted to be on this level, but now that I’m here I just trying to take in every second of it, just relax and let God do his thing.”

Bibbs had a decent showing with the Celtics in summer league, leading to him being added to their training camp roster. He was ultimately cut and joined the Maine Red Claws as an affiliate player. Each NBA team is allowed to assign up to four players to their G League affiliate, players who were in training camp and are guaranteed a G League roster spot.

Affiliate players, however, are still considered ‘free agents’ in that they can sign with any NBA team. Bibbs played in 44 games with the Red Claws and averaged 11.8 points per game, 3.0 rebounds and 2.7 assists.

At Virginia Tech, he was a knockdown outside shooter (42.4 percent) and a strong defender. He has good size for a guard at 6-foot-5 and 225-pounds. It’s those qualities that he’s hoping to bring to the Clippers should he get the chance on the court.

“I always bring energy defensively and I just play my game. On offense, I bring shooting,” Bibbs told Basketball Insiders. “But it’s whatever the coach tells me to do and basically just playing the right way.”

Although Bibbs has reached his goal of the NBA, he’s in a different situation than the rest of his Clippers teammates. They’re all secured with guaranteed contracts. Bibbs has ten days to prove himself to team brass, ten days to show he’s worth keeping around a bit longer.

“I’m happy that my play has been rewarded, that the organization believed in me enough to give me a 10-day. Its motivation for me to keep going,” Bibbs told Basketball Insiders. “I was called down from the G League team, and I’m just trying to get all the sets and plays and stuff, trying to make that adjustment. But it’s definitely a blessing.”

He’s played in three games for the Agua Caliente Clippers so far, logging 27.1 minutes per game off the bench. He’s put up 9.7 points per game on 45.8 percent shooting from the field, 5.0 rebounds and 2.3 assists during that stretch.

He’s yet to log any minutes for the Clippers, but he’s just thrilled to be a part of an NBA organization. Despite being undrafted, he always knew that he’d get to this level at some point.

“Yeah I did, for sure I did. I didn’t know when or how, but I always thought I would be here,” Bibbs told Basketball Insiders. “I had no idea what team, but being out in LA, I’ll take that as a blessing. But yeah I thought I would be here for sure.”

For players like Bibbs who are on 10-day contracts, nothing is guaranteed. But he’s soaking up the entire experience as long as he can. Whether the Clippers decide to retain him a little bit longer, or he moves on to another opportunity, he just wants to be able to play his game.

“My overall goal is just to actually play my game my way and not be restricted,” Bibbs told Basketball Insiders. “Kind of just play freely and right now that’s what I’ve shown, that’s what got me here. I’m just taking in the whole process, just taking it all in and getting the experience and knowledge.”

NBA Daily: 60-Pick NBA Mock Draft – 3/19/19

With the field of teams set for the 2019 NCAA March Madness tournament, things should get noisy over the next few weeks on the NBA Draft front. Steve Kyler offers up another 60-pick Mock Draft before all the zaniness begins.

The basketball world will shift its attention to college basketball’s biggest stage over the next few weeks, especially this weekend’s opening round of 64.

While the tournament doesn’t necessarily make or break a player’s draft stock, this will be the first time some notable draft prospects will face elite talent and, more importantly, the pressure of the big stage. You can check out march madness predictions 2019 here.

Expect things in the draft world to start to percolate, not just because of the magnitude of the games, but also because a lot of NBA scouts will be in the same places, which is where the draft chatter originates.

Equally, a lot of NBA teams will watch games together in the conference rooms this week, so more group discussion on players will happen inside NBA teams’ front offices, and that could lead to new preference information flowing into the NBA Draft information bubble.

Here is this week’s 60-Pick Mock Draft, based on NBA games played through 3/18/19:

Here are the first-round picks that are owed and how those picks landed where they are.

The Atlanta Hawks are to receive the Cleveland Cavaliers’ first-round pick as a result of the Kyle Korver trade in 2017, which is top-10 protected. But based on the standings, it will not be conveyed.

The Boston Celtics are to receive the Memphis Grizzlies first-round pick as a result of the three-team Jeff Green trade in 2015; the pick is top-eight protected and, based on the current standings, would not convey.

The Atlanta Hawks are to receive the Dallas Mavericks first-round pick as a result of the Luka Dončić – Trae Young swap on draft night in 2018. The pick is top-five protected and, based on the standings, would convey.

The Boston Celtics are to receive the more favorable of either the Sacramento Kings or Philadelphia 76ers first-round picks as part of the Markelle Fultz pre-draft trade in 2017. Based on the current standings, the Kings pick is the more favorable and would convey to Boston.

The Boston Celtics are to receive the LA Clippers first-round pick as a result of the Deyonta Davis draft day trade with Memphis in 2016. The Grizzlies got the pick in their Jeff Green/Lance Stephenson deal at the deadline in 2016. The pick is lottery protected and, based on the current standings, would not convey.

The Cleveland Cavaliers are to receive the Houston Rockets first-round pick as a result of the three-team deadline deal that sent out Brandon Knight and Marquese Chriss.

The Brooklyn Nets are to receive the Denver Nuggets first-round pick as a result of the Kenneth Faried – Darrell Arthur trade in July 2018. The pick is top-12 protected and, based on the current standings, would convey.

The San Antonio Spurs are to receive the Toronto Raptors first-round pick as a result of the Kawhi Leonard – DeMar DeRozan trade in July 2018. The pick is top-20 protected and, based on the current standings, would convey.

The Phoenix Suns are to receive the Milwaukee Bucks first-round pick as a result of the Eric Bledsoe trade in 2017. The pick has top 3 and 17-30 protections, designed to yield a lottery-level pick to Phoenix. Based on the current standings this pick would not convey. If the debt is not settled this year, the pick in 2020 would be top-7 protected.